Bottle dispensing refrigerator



Aug. 14, 1934.

. C. A. FRICK BOTTLE DISPENSING REFRIGERATOR Filed April 11. 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet A TTORNEYS Patented Aug. 14,. 1934 PATENT OFFICE BOTTLE DISPENSING REFRIGERATOR Chester A. Frick, Muncie,

Ind., assignor to Glascock Brothers Manufacturing Company, Muncie, Ind., a corporation of Indiana 1 Application April 11, 1930, Serial No. 443,284

4 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in dispensing refrigerators particularly designed for dispensing bottled goods. It has for one of its objects that of providing a cooler which shall rapidly cool the contents of the bottles to be served, which will permit the quick serving of the goods and which may be cheaply manufactured.

For the purpose of disclosing my invention I have illustrated one embodiment thereof in the accompanying drawing, in which:

- Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a dispensing refrigerator embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the same. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated I provide an outer casing which comprises the side panels 1. These panels are held together at their ends by corner angles 2 and at their lower edges flt behind an annular flange 3. An inner tub 4 preferably rectangular in shape fits within the outer casing and suitable insulating material 5 is disposed between the side walls of the tub and the side walls of the casing. The bottom of the tub is also insulated as at 6.

Mounted within the tub is a supporting frame comprising the end angles 7 and the side angles 8, the vertical legs of which rest on the bottom of the tub. f g

Bottle supporting channels are mounted within the tub and supported on the frame formed of the angle members 'I and 8. As each of these channel sets is the same it will be only necessary to describe one. In the construction of the single set I provide a bottom plate 9 perforated to allow the free circulation of water therethrough. The inner edge of this plate is turned up to forma sidewall 10, the side wall extending to the top of the tub. This side wall is perforated like the bottom. Vertical spacer members, extending, from front to rear are supported between the side wall 10 and the side wall'of the tub. Y These spacer I members 11 are preferably corrugatedfor. at least a portion of their height and that spacer member lying adjacent to the side of the tub is unperforated and infact forms a side member. The spacer members are separated to form longitudinally extending channels in which the bottles to be dispensed are vertically arranged. There are two of these channelled compartments, one

disposed on each side of the tub having a space between the same and spaced apart from the bottom of the tub for the reception of the refrigerating medium. The top edge of the structure thus formed is covered by a frame work; comprising the two side channels 12 and the front channel 13. These channels are integrally joined at their corners and the side walls of the channels overlap the sides and front end of the tub 4 and the side panels 1 and corner angles 2, thereby connecting all of the parts together at this point. A back channel 14 covers the rear edge of the structure above described. This channel is slightly wider than the side and end channels and hasits top line in a plane lower than the plane of the tub bf the two side channels 12. The purpose of this will appear more fully hereinafter. The inner edge 15 of the back channel is slotted as at 16 to receive the top edge of the spacer members 11 to assist in maintaining these members in their vertical and spaced apart rela-' tion. Intermediate rails 17 preferably formed of channel members are connected between the back and front channels 14 and 13 and these rails cover the top edges of the side walls 10 and assist in maintaining the same in position, the side walls being provided with horizontal flanges 18 which fit within the channels. Each of the channel compartments has extending across the top thereof at the rear a cross-member 19 having turned down flanges 20 welded to thesides of one of the rails 17 and a side'channel 12. vThe purpose of this cross-member, in addition to its bracing purpose, will appear more fully hereinafter.

A second cross-member 21 secured in position in the same manner as the cross-member 19 is positioned toward the front of the channel compartment and this cross-member has staggered turned down fingers 22 which overlap the top edges of the spacer members 11 and aid in'maintaining the same in their vertical and spaced. apart position toward their fronts.

Each of the channel compartments is provided with a cover member 23 provided with a peripheral flange 24 adapted to overlapthe intermediate rail and the side and end channels and this cover member is slidably mounted on' the top frame, the top of the rear channel 14 being low enough to permit the cover to slide above the same. The cover, at its rear is provided with a series of openings 25, one for each of the channels through which, when the cover is in position, a bottle may be inserted into the rear end of the channeL' This can only be done, however, when the cover is slid to its rearmost position, as when the cover is drawn to its forward position the cross-member 19 lies immediately beneath the opening thereby closing the same. An arcuate propeller 26 is mounted on the underface of the cover member to the rear of each of the openings. downturned flnger 27 mounted on a cover and Each of these propellers is secured to a when the cover member is moved forward to its closed position the upper edge of the propeller engages beneath the cross-member 19 assisting in the prevention of the removal of the cover. An intermediate cover member 28 closes the space between the intermediate rails 1'7 and rests thereon. A filler block, and channel 29, is secured over the back .channel 14 between the intermediate rails 1'? to raise the top plane of this portion of the channel to the top plane of the rails so that, when the intermediate cover is in position there will be no gap at the rear end.

A bottle support 30 is secured in position at the rear of the dispenser, being mounted on legs 31 whichmaintain the support slightly raised to permit the passage thereunder of the sliding cover. This support projects slightly over the rear edge of the cover members when they are in their farmost position or stated in another way, the distance between the front edge of the support and the rear edge of the cross-member 19 is less than the distance between the rear edge of the bottle openings in the cover and the rear edge of the cover. This arrangement effectively prevents the removal of the covers when the support is in position. The support is removably secured in position by means of screws or bolts 32.

A suitable drain pipe 33 extends upwardly through the center of the tub and the height of this drain pipe retains the height of the water level in the tub.

In operation the space beneath the channel compartments is filled with ice preferably crushed, as is the space between these compartments. The tub is filled with water to the top of the drain pipe and due to the fact that the walls and bottoms of the channel compartments are perforated this water will flow into the channels of these compartments. The ice, however, will be maintained clear of these compartments. The bottles are supported in rows, one behind the other in the compartiznents, with one empty moved forward, the entire row of bottles is moved forward positioning the first bottle of the row at the extreme forward end of the channel.

The edge of the bottom 9 of each of the compartments is stepped up as at 34 so that one channel in each compartment is of less depth than the remaining channels. This stepped up edge provides means whereby the ice may be more readily packed beneath the bottom of the compartment and while it shortens the height of the channel, this channel is of sufficient depth to accommodate the ordinary Coco Cola bottle or bottles of the same diameters. The remaining channels of each compartment are deeper so that they may accommodate longer or larger bottles. However, in order to handle shorter bottles in these channels, I provide removable channel fillers 35, which may be placed in each channel and which, when in place assist in maintaining the divider members in position at their bottom edges.

I claim the following:

1. In a bottle dispensing refrigerator, the combination with a receptacle for containing a refrigerant, of a top trim for said receptacle comprising a rectangular frame formed of inverted channels, a plurality of compartments mounted in said receptacle, each comprising a bottom and-sides, dividers extending longitudinally of the compartments for dividing the same into channel-ways, the inner walls of said trim having spaced apart vertical slots for receiving the top edge of said dividers to maintain the same in spaced relation, and cover members for said receptacle.

2. In a bottle dispensing refrigerator, the comand each comprising a bottom and side members,

one of the side members at its top projecting into the channel of a rail, longitudinally extending dividers in each compartment for dividing the same into channel-ways, the inner walls of the rear channel of the trim frame having spaced slots for receiving the. top edge of the dividers to maintain the same in spaced relation, and cover members for said receptacle.

3. In a bottle dispensing refrigerator, the combination with a receptacle for containing the refrigerator, of a top trim for said receptacle comprising a rectangular frame formed of inverted channels, spaced apart intermediate rails extending between the front and back members of the frame, a pair of spaced apart compartments mounted in said receptacle, each lying adjacent a side of the receptacle to leave a center space therebetween extending to the bottom of the receptacle and each comprising bottom and side walls, dividers extending longitudinally of each compartment to divide the same into channel-ways, the inner wall of the rear member of the frame having vertically spaced apart slots to receive the upper edge of the dividers, a spacer secured'between each intermediate rail and a side of the frame near the front having downturned lips to engage on either side of the dividers and cover members for said receptacle.

4. In a bottle dispensing refrigerator, the combination with a receptacle for containing a refrigerant of a channel-way in said receptacle, a sliding cover for said channel-way slidable rearwardly to expose the front end of said channel-way and having a bottle receiving opening at its rear end, a cross-member above said channel-way and beneath said cover and spaced from the rear wall of the channel-way to close the opening when the cover is moved forward.

a propeller mounted on said cover to the rear of said opening extending downwardly into said channel-way, means on said cover for engaging beneath said cross-member when the cover is distance between said propeller and the rear edge of the cover.

CHESTER A. FRICK. 

